Nutrition and Running
When talking about any workout activity, nutrition is always in the top questions. So this week I wanted to address some of the basics about nutrition and running.
First, although it is not “food” it is hydration. I think it's no secret that water is vital for life and dehydration has a whole host of deleterious effects. It only takes a short Google search to see that there are many brain, performance, organ and other negative effects of not staying hydrated. So how much water is ideal? There are many different calculators and estimations but I have my preference. For most people, I like half their body weight in ounces during the first 10 hours of the day. If you weigh 180lbs, that's 90 oz. Understand that drinking caffeinated beverages increases your need for water since it is a diuretic. Next is if you add in activity. Physical exertion increases our need for water. My favorite calculator for how much water is needed during exercise comes from the work of Dr. Andy Galpin and has been dubbed the Galpin Equation. It is: take your bodyweight in lbs and divide it by 30. That number is how many ounces you should consume every 15-20 minutes of activity. If you cannot consume it during the activity, add it into your daily total.
Under the hydration umbrella are electrolytes. Since October 2 of 1965 when Gatorade was first used, people have become obsessed with electrolytes in their drinks. Now if you are doing short runs, you are very unlikely to hit the point where electrolytes become your limiting factor. If the weather is hot and humid and you work outside for a career, then you might need to consider some during those times. A good rule of thumb is if you are hydrated going into an event, and it lasts under an hour and the environment is not extreme, you probably don’t need electrolytes. If you do need electrolytes, you need to consider how much and in what ratios to consume. While it is highly variable based on environment, individual physiology, and activity done, a ratio to start with is:
Sodium: 1,500-2,300 mg/kg BW
Potassium: 1,500-3,500 mg/kg BW
Chloride: 1,200-2,300 mg/kg BW
Bicarbonate: 400-700 mg/kg BW
Magnesium: 6-10 mg/kg BW
Now that we have covered hydration we are going to move onto actual food. This can get highly variable based on the amount and duration of running done. For most individuals who are doing daily runs, food timing isn’t as important. If you are training for a marathon and running 60-90 minutes or more, you will want to be more specific and intentional with your food. For most runners we want a mix of healthy fats, proteins and carbohydrates. If you are running and trying to lose weight, you will need to track all your calories. If not, focus on eating enough protein about 1.2-2 grams per kilogram of body weight. This will give you enough fuel to help repair the muscle tissue damaged in training. Make healthy fats like avocados, walnuts, and seeds another 35% of your diet and fill the rest in with carbohydrates.
I typically recommend runners eat about an hour before running. This helps them to have enough fuel in the body to sustain the run comfortably but not have so much bulk in the stomach that it makes the run hurt. After training, try to get a higher protein meal within 90 minutes. This will help jump start the muscle protein synthesis and increase recovery.
Nutrition in running is very context dependent but these general guidelines can be a great starting point for most runners.
